Serve Sacramento

special edition

Serve Sacramento

special edition

Have you heard of the food insecure?

This special edition newsletter has been created to inform you about the issue of food insecurity in our region. Food insecurity is now the common term used by non-profit and government circles to describe the hungry. In this edition you will learn a few things, but more importantly there is a way you can take action. We are going to meet needs of the food insecure at our upcoming Season of Service Celebration at Raley Field on May 22nd.

On that night, more important than the baseball game, the hot dogs, the videos of service, and the fireworks, we have the opportunity to serve even before we enter into the ballpark. Representatives from the Twin Lakes Food Bank, the Elk Grove Food Bank and the Orangevale Food Bank will be waiting outside the ballpark for YOU to bring in donations of food items to help assist individuals and families in need. It is our prayer that, through the effort of Rivercats fans and people like you, we will be able to fill multiple trucks with nutritious food to help sustain our neighbors in need. Will you join us in this effort?

Serving with you,

Megan McCleary

It's not too late to get your tickets!

Tickets for the event can be purchased here (Select: Serve Sacramento and enter code: SERVESAC). Group tickets can be purchased by contacting Alex Harbowy at (916)376-4869 or aharbowy@rivercats.com

What is food insecurity?

Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. This is due to a variety of factors including poverty and lack of transportation to grocery stores and farmers markets. In a 2012 study, the UCLA’s California Health Interview Survey found that 220,000 Sacramento County residents are food insecure.

A Mobile Food Bank in About a Minute

What is a food desert?

The United States Department of Agriculture describes a food desert as a low income neighborhood whose residents have limited access to a supermarket, supercenter, or large grocery store. In urban areas, this is defined as being more than 1 mile away from affordable healthy food. Distance and lack of transportation often leaves these low-income families to access fast food restaurants and convenience stores for their source of food which brings side effects of hunger, malnourishment, obesity and diabetes.

Below is a map taken from the Food Access Research Atlas that shows food deserts in the Sacramento Region taken from a 2010 census tract.

Where can I learn more about food insecurity?

Click HERE to explore Capital Public Radio's Multimedia Documentary series about Hidden Hunger in our region.

Join the Hunger in the Farm-To-Fork Capital community conversation on May 13th or June 3rd. Hear from community leaders and discuss local solutions to the issue of food insecurity in our region. Click HERE to view a flyer with more information.

What Can I do to serve the food insecure in my community?

Begin a regular community evening supper at your church and invite your neighbors

Volunteer with Harvest Sacramento, of Soil Born Farms to harvest underutilized fruit and vegetables from backyards and small orchards and donate it to local food assistance agencies.

Where is my local food bank?

Find your local food bank or pantry by clicking on 211 Sacramento's Emergency Food page HERE. Select your County and city or unincorporated area and discover food banks and pantries that serve you and your neighbors